Which of the following was invented or conceived of by teens:
earmuffs, the television, or the mechanical calculator? The answer: all
of the above!

For centuries, people have been developing better ways to do
things. Everything from the Popsicle to the computer and the iPod
started as someone's bright idea.

Today, teens continue to make history with their ingenious
inventions. Here are three young inventors whose creativity is making
life a little easier for others.

ARTIFICIAL LEG COVER

Grayson Rosenberger, a 15-year-old from Tennessee, proved that you
don't need a lot of fancy equipment to make something that changes
lives. Using just Bubble Wrap, tape, and a heat gun, he invented an
affordable cover for artificial legs.

Specially designed prosthetics (artificial body parts) can cost as
much as $3,000 each. As a result, many people in the world can afford
only basic metal rods to replace their lost limbs. But by using
Grayson's technique of adding a layer of Bubble Wrap to the rod,
and molding it with a heat gun, anyone can form a more realistic-looking
leg.

Grayson's invention was inspired by a story that he heard from
his parents, who are ministers. Both of them raise money to provide
people in Ghana, West Africa, with basic prosthetics. They visit the
country regularly to train local people how to fit the new limbs.
"One of the people my parents fitted with a leg was a 15-year-old
boy named Daniel," Grayson tells JS. "He broke his leg in
soccer, but because the medical situation over there is so poor, he had
to have his leg amputated Now he can walk, but he is made fun of on the
street and at school because he has a fake leg."

Grayson, who is a sophomore at Franklin Road Academy High School in
Nashville, Tennessee, has decided not to seek a patent for his
invention, which costs less than $10 to make. In fact, he plans to train
others how to use the same methods. "This summer I will teach at
the prosthetic clinic in Ghana," he tells JS. It will be
Grayson's first visit to Ghana, and his first opportunity to apply
his ideas. "I am very excited, and I want to fit Daniel
first."

HANDS ON HAND-CLAP GAME

Ana Lingenfelder, an eighth-grader from Hanover, Pennsylvania, won
a top award at the 2006 Invent-a-Toy World Games. She got the idea for
her invention during a class assignment at the Pennsylvania Cyber
Charter School. "Everyone had to brainstorm and come up with an
invention," she tells JS. "I always liked playing hand-clap
games but didn't always have someone to play with." So Ana
invented the Hands On hand-clap game.

The game is an electronic board that players hang on a wall or hold
on their laps. A pair of hands lights up when players clap against them
in time to the music.

Ana says that she has "always loved thinking about toys,
creating new toys, or changing existing toys. I really didn't know
what to do with these ideas." Then she and her mother discovered By
Kids for Kids (bkfk.com) online. The company manufactures and sells
kids' inventions.

Before submitting her idea, Ana made a conceptual prototype--a
model that shows how the final product will look. She hopes to get a
patent for her invention.

QUIZLET

When Andrew Sutherland's French teacher gave him a list of 111
animal names to memorize--in French--he hit upon a way to make
memorizing fun. "'Man, I love doing this' was not what I
was thinking," says Andrew, a junior at Albany High School in
Albany, California. "Then I had the idea to apply my programming
skills to the problem."

Andrew began to write a computer program that would take the grind
out of test prep. That was almost two years ago. Now 17, he just
launched a Web site featuring his final product: Quizlet, an online
memorization tool.

To use Quizlet, you enter the data you need to memorize, be it
vocabulary words, history dates, or science facts. Quizlet turns the
information into flash cards, then generates tests. After you take a
test, the program retests you on the questions you got wrong.

Andrew's free site is proving to be popular with students and
teachers. "So far, it has more than 8,500 registered users, with
about 160 more signing up every day," he tells JS.

Does Andrew plan to continue inventing? "Of course!" he
says. "It's addictive. Once you create something really
useful, all sorts of new ideas can spring from that one idea."

Andrew has some advice for would-be inventors. "Look at your
everyday life, and invent something to improve it a little bit," he
says. "If someone tells you something can't be done, try it
for yourself first. You may surprise them."

PATENT PENDING

Have you ever had a really good idea for a new product? To prevent
ideas from being stolen, most inventors seek to patent their inventions.
Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution states that inventors
should have "the exclusive right to their ... discoveries."
Patent laws protect those rights by registering new inventions.

Inventors can file their applications with the United States Patent
and Trademark Office [USPTO]. The application process is not easy, but
Jon Dudas, Patent Office Director, has some encouragement for JS
readers. "Teens are some of our best creators and innovators,"
he says. "I hope one day I will get to sign your patent." To
learn more about patents, go to uspto.gov/go/kids.

Word to Know

* patent: a document granting an inventor sole rights to an
invention.

Think About It

1. Name a few recent inventions. How have they changed daily life?

2. Think of an invention that would make gout life easier. Describe
it. What materials would you need to create it?

* Objective

Students should be able to:

* understand why there is no minimum age for creating useful
inventions.

* Background

The inventors mentioned in the article's introduction are:
Chester Greenwood (1858-1937), who, tired of cold ears while ice
skating, invented earmuffs at age 15; Philo T. Farnsworth (1906-1971),
who conceived of a prototype for a working television at age 14 and
later built one; and Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), who was 19 when he began
work on what became the Pascaline, the first business machine and second
mechanical calculator.

* Critical Thinking

USING CONTEXT CLUES: What motivated the three young inventors
profiled in this article? (Grayson Rosenberger: learned of a need
through his parents' work; Aria Lingenfelder: wanted to be able to
play a game for two when alone; Andreu, Sutherland: needed an easy, fun
way to memorize)

MAKING INFERENCES: Why do you think Grayson has chosen not to
patent his technique for covering prosthetic legs? (People too poor for
realistic-looking prosthetics would not be able to afford to pay
permission fees required by patents.)

* Activity

WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?: Have students choose one of the
inventors listed at invent.org. (Go to the "Hail of Fame"
link, far left, and search by inventor or invention.) Then prepare a
brief presentation about the inventor. What sparked the idea? What steps
did the inventor take to go from idea to reality?

STANDARD

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

* Individual development and identity: Young people have the
interests and skills to create inventions that will help others.